


Another Lost Soul Is Found

by runningwyld



Series: It's About Damn Time [14]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Dogs, Domestic Fluff, Episode: s08e02 Na La 'Ilio (Dog Days), Established Relationship, Humor, M/M, Ohana, POV Alternating, Steve takes in another stray, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-17
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-10-30 07:48:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17824766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/runningwyld/pseuds/runningwyld
Summary: Junior shows up at the house looking for Steve just as Danny is rushing out the front door.  I took the opportunity to introduce Junior Reigns to Five-0 as an excuse for domestic McDanno fluff.





	Another Lost Soul Is Found

**Author's Note:**

> I basically took the introduction of Junior storyline from Season 8, Episode 2 and rewrote it to fit into my established McDanno universe. The main storyline from that episode is not referenced in this story, all I needed was Junior and a lot of domestic McDanno fluff. Also, the time line in my “It’s About Damn Time” series is a little out of whack with the show. In my story “Did You Mean It” Danny and Steve got together following Season 7, Episode 8. In the story “Danny, Take Your Shirt Off” Eddie (the dog) is mentioned, and Kono and Chin also appear in the story. I now realize the first appearance of both Eddie and Junior is in Season 8, Episode 2, after Kono and Chin have both left Five-0. So, for the purposes of this story, Steve got Eddie shortly after he and Danny got together, and they got Murphy (the puppy from “Danny, Take Your Shirt Off”) sometime in late Season 7. I don’t think any of the previous stories in the series have included Tani or Junior, so we can also probably push the time between when Danny and Steve got together and when Kono and Chin left out a few months. This story is supposed to be somewhat of a transition story from the Kono/Chin era to the Tani/Junior era, although since the stories aren’t necessarily chronological, there may be future stories that feature Kono/Chin. I hope you enjoy the pure McDanno fluff.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own no rights to Hawaii Five-0 or any of its characters. This is a work of fan fiction and no infringement is intended. Dialogue from Season 8, Episode 2, Na La 'Ilio, was written by David Wolkove & Matt JL Wheeler.

As Danny rushed out the door for the second time that morning, he almost ran into the young man standing on the front porch.  A frantic call from Grace just as he and Steve were pulling up to the Palace had him sending Steve into HQ while he returned home to try and locate Grace’s trigonometry homework. Normally, Danny would have let his daughter suffer the consequences of her forgetfulness, but she had an A in the class and it was the first time all semester she’d made such a request, so he agreed to retrieve the homework and drop it off at school in time for her third period math class.  After a bit of searching, Danny located the errant papers under the coffee table. He didn’t know how they got there, but he was sure he owed Eddie a new bone for keeping Murphy from tearing them to shreds.  They were trying to break the overgrown puppy from his habit of chewing on anything he could get his teeth on, but success had been slow. Eddie, amazing dog that he was, would often nudge Murphy away from whatever non-chew toy item the puppy was bent on destroying, but even Eddie had to sleep sometime. Thankfully the pages were intact because Danny was sure Grace’s teacher would never believe the excuse that the dog ate her homework.  Said homework in hand, Danny jerked open the front door and was halfway across the threshold before noticing the uniformed young man standing nervously on the other side.  He quickly took a step back in surprise.

“Commander McGarrett?”

“God, no.” Danny’s emphatic statement was halfway between a bark and a laugh.

“Oh. I’m sorry, sir, I thought this was Commander McGarrett’s house?  I apologize.  I’ll just, uh, I’ll just go.”  The Sailor leaned down to pick up the blue duffle bag sitting at his feet.

“You weren’t wrong.  About the house anyway.”  At the other man’s confused look, he explained.  “I’m Detective Danny Williams.  His partner.”

“Oh, I see, sir.  Well… um… in that case, is Commander McGarrett at home?”  The kid seemed nonplussed at first, but Danny gave him credit for being quick to recover from the obvious implication that he and Steve weren’t just work partners.

“No, sorry, he’s already at work. I had to come back because our daughter, Grace, forgot her homework.” Nope, definitely not just work partners, Danny thought.

“Oh.” The young man’s shoulders slumped, but Danny thought his dejection was because Steve wasn’t home, not because of his and Steve’s relationship.

“What’s your name, Sailor? Besides just Reigns, I mean?” Danny indicated the name stitched above the right chest pocket of his uniform. Something about the younger man’s demeanor struck a chord with Danny. He had a soft spot for lonely servicemen after all.

The kid jumped to attention. “Special Operator Second Class Junior Reigns. It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.” The kid almost saluted before apparently realizing that Sailors didn’t salute civilians, not even police detectives.

“You don’t have to call me sir.  Danny will do, or even Detective Williams if you insist on formality.”

“Yes, sir.” 

Danny mentally rolled his eyes. God save him from those indoctrinated by the military’s insistence on proper protocol.

“Look, I’m in kind of a hurry, Junior. Is there something I can help you with, maybe give Commander McGarrett a message for you? You know he’s not in the Navy anymore, right?”

“Oh, no, sir. I mean, yes, sir.  I mean, yes, I know he’s not in the Navy, and no, there’s no message. I’d really like to speak with him in person. I can come back another time.”

“Is it important?”

“Yes, sir.  It is to me anyway.”

“Alright then.” It briefly occurred to Danny to invite him to HQ, but Steve had a meeting with the Governor that afternoon and who knew what the rest of the morning would be like.  He would hate for the kid to go all the way down to the Palace and Steve not have the time to meet with him.  “I tell you what, our schedules are pretty hectic, but we’ve got my kids this weekend, so unless a national emergency comes up, we’ll be home at a reasonable time tonight. Why don’t you come by after dinner, say around 8 o’clock?”

“That’d be great, sir. Thank you.”  Junior immediately brightened, a small smile appearing on his face.

“Look, why don’t you give me your number and I’ll text you if something happens and we need to reschedule.”

“I don’t have a cellphone, sir. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have a cellphone?” Danny was surprised.  He thought every person under thirty had a cellphone permanently affixed to their hand. He mentally shrugged. “Well, okay, that shouldn’t be a problem.  When Steve and I have the kids, one of us always tries to be home in the evenings, even when we have a case.  If that happens tonight, I’ll make sure Steve is the one who comes home.” 

“Thank you, sir. I really appreciate that.”

“Easy with the sirs, already. Try to limit them to every other sentence, okay?”  Danny checked his watch. “I’m sorry kid, but I really have to go. Hopefully, I’ll see you tonight.” He stepped outside and locked the door behind him. Junior picked up his bag and stepped aside so Danny could pass. When Danny pulled out of the drive, he noticed the Sailor walking down the sidewalk in the opposite direction with the Navy-issued duffle bag resting on one shoulder.

 

* * *

 

When the doorbell rang that night at 8 o’clock sharp, Murphy immediately started barking and running in circles while Eddie silently took up sentry duty next to the front door. 

As Steve opened the door, he called over his shoulder, “Charlie, come get Murphy, please.”  He waited until the little boy ran over and wrapped his arms around the puppy before fully opening the door. Murphy had gotten too big for Charlie to actually pick up, but he could probably prevent him from jumping on their guest.  He chuckled as the boy half-heartedly tried to dodge Murphy’s tongue as the dog determinedly tried to lick his face. Just as Steve was about the greet the uniformed young man standing at his front door, Charlie spoke.

“Are you a soldier?”

“He’s a Sailor, buddy.” Steve told him before the other man could answer.

“He looks like a soldier,” Charlie pointed out.

“Do you see what it says there?” Steve pointed to the words over the man’s left chest pocket.”

“U.S. Navy,” Charlie slowly read.

“Right, people in the Navy are called sailors.  Soldiers are in the Army.”

“Oh, like you were.”

“Did Danno tell you to say that, you scamp? You know I was in the Navy, Charlie, not the Army.”

“But Danno always says you were in the Army.”

“And what do I say when Danno says that?”

Charlie grinned, “The Navy, Danno, I was in the Naaavy.” It was a fair impersonation until the boy burst out giggling. “Danno’s silly.”

“Yes, Danno is silly. And so are you.” Steve mussed Charlie’s hair and then nodded towards the dog wiggling in his arms as the boy kept a firm grip on his collar. “Now why don’t you take Murphy and go find your dad while I talk to the Sailor, okay?”

“Okay, Uncle Steve.”  Charlie told him before speaking to their visitor. “Bye, Sailor.”

“Bye,” came the tentative reply.

Steve looked down at the dog that had moved to stand next to him when he’d opened the door. “Eddie, go with Charlie and keep Murphy out of trouble.” He gestured toward the little boy and the rambunctious, overgrown puppy.  With a soft snort that told Steve the dog knew he’d been given an impossible task, Eddie turned and followed. “Sorry about that. Charlie’s at the age where he asks a thousand questions a day.” Before the other man could respond, Steve shifted gears. “Steve McGarrett.”

“Special Operator Second Class Junior Reigns,” the SEAL said with a salute. “It’s an honor to meet you, sir.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Junior. Please relax. I’m not on the Teams anymore.”

Junior chuckled nervously and removed his cover.

“What can I do for you?” Steve asked. He was curious why a young SEAL he’d never met had sought him out at his home.  Danny had told him about running into the kid that morning. According to his partner, the young man had seemed anxious to speak with Steve but hadn’t volunteered why.  Since Steve had been medically discharged from the Reserves after the liver transplant, and the Sailor’s demeanor indicated the topic was personal, Danny had invited him to come back by the house that night. Steve knew Danny wouldn’t have issued such an invitation if he thought the SEAL was trying to pull Steve into something that was potentially dangerous.

“Uh, my Master Chief, David Lange, always spoke very highly of you.”

“David Lange? Your Master Chief? He was my dive buddy.”

“Yeah. He mentioned that. He says you’re the best.”

“Well, don’t believe everything David Lange says. When are you headed back down range?”

“Actually, sir, I just processed out.”

“Out of the Navy?” Steve hadn’t been expecting that.

“Yes, sir.” Junior laughed, but there was no humor in it. “It’s a long story.”

“I bet it is. When did you get back from the sandbox?”

“This morning.”

Curiouser and curiouser, Steve thought. My god, he’d really had become domesticated if he was quoting phrases from Charlie’s bedtime stories in his head. Before he could get distracted by thoughts of _Alice in Wonderland_ , he returned his focus to his guest.

“I see. Well, Special Operator Second Class Junior Reigns, I got to say I’m intrigued as to why you’re standing on my porch for the second time today.  I guess you better come on inside and tell me.”

“Thank you, sir. I promise not to take you away from your family for too long.”

“Oh, that’s okay. Grace is in her room doing some homework, in between texts to her boyfriend, that is.  And I’m sure Danny is trying to get Charlie in the bath and keep Murphy out of it, so we’ve got a little time.”

Steve led him to the living area and gestured for Junior to take a seat. Predictably, he chose a chair and sat ramrod straight with his cover on his lap. Steve sank onto the couch across from him. He leaned back and waited for Junior to speak.

“I heard about the taskforce you’ve created and the type of work you’re doing and to tell you the truth, I need a job.” 

Steve was impressed that the kid got straight to the point with no nervous small talk, but he was surprised at the reason for the visit. Danny would claim the kid had chutzpah. “I’ve got to say, I appreciate the initiative I’ve seen here tonight, but unfortunately, I’m just not hiring right now. But, listen, if you’re open to other work, I can make some calls. I’d be happy to.”

“I appreciate that, but the thing is, I don’t just want a job.  Frying potatoes or painting houses, they just don’t interest me. I joined the Navy and became a SEAL because I wanted to serve my country and make a difference. That hasn’t changed. It’s just that now I want to make a difference here at home. But I want to learn from the best, work with the best, and from everything I’ve heard, that’s you and Five-0 and I want to be a part of that.  Anything else at this point just seems like settling.”

“I don’t know what to tell you, Junior. We just took on a new team member a couple weeks ago, so your timing couldn’t be worse. I’m sorry. I really am.”

“I understand, sir. Thank you.” Junior stood and reached out a hand.

Steve got up and shook his hand, surprised that the kid had given up so easily. “Yeah, you got it.”

They walked to the door and when they got there, Steve reached for the knob. “Good luck to you, Junior.  Let me know if you change your mind about me making some calls for you.”  He opened the door.

“Thank you, sir, but I won’t change my mind. You have a good night.”

 

* * *

 

“So?” Danny asked later that night while he and Steve were sitting on the lanai drinking a couple of Longboards.  “What did the junior SEAL want?” 

“Don’t think I didn’t notice that awful pun.” Steve groaned before answering the question. “A job. He wants to work for Five-0.” 

“And?” Danny didn’t know what he’d been expecting, but that wasn’t it.

“I told him we aren’t hiring.” Steve’s tone was matter-of-fact, but Danny could tell there was more to the story.

“Hmm.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that I don’t believe it’s as simple as that. Yeah, we just hired Tani, but we’re still one person down because from the sound of it Kono isn’t coming back anytime soon. And even if she did, having another young team member wouldn’t be a bad thing. It won’t be many more years before the two of us are ready to retire. And Lou is even older than we are.  It’s time we started thinking about whether Five-0 is going to be around when we’re sitting out here watching Grace’s kids play in the sand. I’d think you’d jump at the chance to add a former SEAL to the team.  A mini-Steve you could mold into your own image. So why don’t you tell me the real reason you shot the kid down.”

“Sometimes I hate how well you know me.” Steve griped.

“Yeah, well, you didn’t say that last night,” Danny shot back with a leer and a smug grin.

Steve looked at Danny with a hot gaze. “If you want to finish this conversation, you won’t distract me with reminders of last night.”

“I apologize,” but the smirk he felt on his lips probably made it clear that he wasn’t sorry at all. “So why don’t you tell me the real reason you told the kid no. I’d think you’d want to at least check him out, look into his background and find out if he’d be a good fit or not.”

“That’s what I’m doing.  I told him we aren’t hiring.  Let’s see if he accepts that or if he comes back and tries again.”

“Ahh, it was a test.”

“Of course. His Master Chief was my old dive buddy, David Lange. I gave him a call as soon as Junior left.  He had nothing but praise for the kid. Apparently, his team’s last op was a real clusterfuck.  Word was a couple of guys went rogue and one of the team was seriously injured as a result.  According to David, Junior and another SEAL completed the mission and got everyone out safe, but just barely. Even so, he was surprised when Junior didn’t re-up at the end of his enlistment. Although the kid never said, David suspected there were family issues that played into his decision to leave the Navy.”

“So, what’s your plan?” Steve always had a plan.

“The ball’s in his court, but I expect him so show up at HQ sometime soon. I can’t imagine he seriously thought I’d hire him on the spot, so he must have had a plan in case I said no. I guess we’ll see what it is.” 

Danny watched as Steve took the last sip of beer and set the empty bottle down beside his chair. He had a feeling they’d be policing the area for bottles in the morning because from the look on Steve’s face, his partner had other plans besides trash pickup tonight.

“Now, what were you saying about knowing me so well?” Steve asked.

“You’re the one who said that, Smooth Dog, but I’d be happy to demonstrate. I take it you’re ready to head upstairs?”

Instead of answering, Steve got up from his chair and reached out his hand.  When Danny took it, Steve pulled him up and straight into a long passionate kiss.  When they finally broke apart, Danny laid a hand on Steve’s chest.  He took satisfaction in the faster than normal pace of Steve’s heartbeat, but when Danny looked up into his face, he saw that the familiar cocky grin was firmly in place.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”         

  

* * *

 

“Dad. Uncle Steve.  Did you know that there’s some guy outside washing your precious vehicles and it’s not Nahele?” Grace asked as she walked into the kitchen in her usual Saturday morning attire of shorts and a t-shirt.  This morning it was one of Steve’s old Naval Academy shirts that was older than she was.   

“What?” Danny exclaimed as he set his coffee cup on the table where he, Steve, and Charlie were having breakfast.  Steve didn’t ask questions, he just headed for the front door.  He knew Danny wouldn’t be far behind and that Charlie and Grace would be hot on their father’s heels.

When he stepped outside, he saw Junior Reigns standing between his truck and the Camaro with a bucket at his feet, a hose in one hand, and a soapy sponge in the other.

“Junior, what’re you doing?” Steve asked. 

“I took the liberty of washing your truck and Detective Williams’ Camaro, sir.”

“Yes, I can see that.  Why would you do that?” Steve couldn’t believe this was the kid’s plan to get him to change his mind about the job.

“They were dirty, sir.”

“That’s because even though Steve always insists on driving, he never volunteers to wash my car and the only time his truck gets washed is when he cons Nahele into doing it. I almost forgot what color his truck even was.” Danny said as he and the kids walked up to stand next to Steve.  

“Junior, you remember Danny and Charlie, and this is Grace.”

“Hi, Sailor.” Charlie waved from the spot where he’d wedged himself between Steve and Danny.”

“Hi, Charlie.” Junior said to the boy, before turning to address Danny and Grace.  “Good morning, Detective Williams, sir. It’s nice to see you again and it’s a pleasure to meet you, Grace.”

“Morning, Junior,” Danny returned the greeting.  “Steve tells me you’re looking for a job with Five-0, but from the look of these,” he waved a hand indicating the sparkling vehicles, “it would be a waste of your talent, if you ask me.  In fact, we’ve got some carnauba wax in the garage if you really want make a good impression.”

Steve ignored Danny and addressed Junior.  “Like I said last night, Junior, we’re not really hiring right now.”

“And I fully understand that, sir. I thought I’d do something to show some appreciation for taking the time to talk to me yesterday.”

Well, he’d told Danny that he wanted to see if the kid would come back.  He guessed he had his answer, even if this wasn’t what he’d expected.  He looked over at his partner and could tell by the smirk on his face that he knew Steve was about to cave. Steve crossed his arms over his chest and looked up at the sky for a second before giving in.

“Alright, look, maybe I can help you out.  Come back this evening at five o’clock sharp.  You think you can do that?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. We’ll see you then.”

They left Junior to his car-washing and went back inside to finish their breakfast. Cold coffee was bad enough, but cold eggs were inedible, so Steve dumped the coffee and started a fresh pot as Danny got to work on making a new batch of toast and scrambled eggs.  Steve topped off Charlie’s orange juice and took down a glass to pour some for Grace as well.

“So, what’s your plan?” Danny asked a few minutes later as his served up the eggs and placed a stack of toast on the table. “Why did you tell Junior to come back this afternoon?”

“I want him to meet Duke.”

“Okay. Any particular reason why?”

“If Duke agrees, I’m going the tell Junior that he has a spot with Five-0, but only if he graduates from the police academy?”

“Seriously?  Don’t get me wrong, I think sending him the academy is a great idea … stellar, in fact. The last thing we need on the team is another crazy former SEAL with absolutely no concept of the importance of police procedure.  But you’ve always acted like you didn’t need police training because of your military experience, especially as a SEAL. What changed your mind?”

“I think you’re mis-remembering there, Danny.  I never said police procedure wasn’t important, what I said was that since you knew all about police procedure and proper investigative techniques, I would let you handle those things while I handled the other aspects of the job.” 

“Hmmm, I’m not sure I’m the one who’s mis-remembering, but since I’m so happy you’re going to send Junior to the academy, I’m not going to argue the point.”

“You? Mr. I’d-argue-with-a-brick wall, you’re not going to take the opportunity to argue a meaningless point.”

“That’s right.  And not to change the subject, but since you’re having Junior and Duke come over so close to dinner time, I guess that means you’re planning to invite them to stay and eat.”

“I thought we might cook a little something, invite Lou and his family, Jerry, Tani. Let Junior meet the team.” He noticed Grace had her phone in one hand while eating with the other. “Grace, I suppose you’re already texting Will about dinner?”

She glanced up briefly. “Of course, Uncle Steve. He asked if Dad was going to make his cannoli for dessert.”

While they had a no texting at the dinner table rule, they didn’t have the same rule at breakfast. If they did, they’d probably never get Grace to eat in the mornings since it was apparently imperative she find out everything that had happened in the lives of all her friends since they had each gone to sleep the night before. Steve shook his head in exasperation and looked at Danny who just shrugged. 

“Tell Will that I’d be happy to make cannoli.”

“Thanks, Danno.” Grace said without looking up from her screen.

“Can I help make the cannoli, Danno?” Charlie asked as he brought a forkful of perfectly fluffy eggs to his mouth.

“Of course, Charlie. You’re the best helper in the house. When Uncle Steve helps, he eats half the filling and then I have to make a second batch.”

“You could just double the recipe to start with,” Steve told him sensibly. “Then Charlie and I could eat as much as we wanted. Right, buddy?” He reached out a fist towards the six-year-old, who gleefully bumped it with his own.

“That’s a great idea, Uncle Steve. Huh, Danno?” Charlie nodded his head up and down to help encourage his father to say yes.

“Yeah, it’s great idea, right up until the point where you both have tummy aches.” Danny reached over and tickled the boy’s belly making him giggle. “You’re both limited to scraping the bowl and licking one spatula each.”

“Aww, Danno.”

“Yeah, aww, Danno.” Steve echoed.

“You,” Danny pointed his fork at Steve, “quit being a bad influence on our son.”

Steve smiled and went back to eating his breakfast.  He loved it when Danny called Grace and Charlie “our” children.  

 

* * *

 

Danny and Duke were standing outside watching Charlie and Duke’s granddaughter, Akela, play fetch with Eddie and Murphy. They laughed as Charlie tried to take the ball away from Murphy. The pup was good at retrieving, but he hadn’t quite figured out that he was supposed to release the ball when he brought it back. Eddie, on the other hand, promptly dropped his ball at Akela’s feet.  Danny could swear the older dog glanced over at the tug-of-war going on between Murphy and Charlie and shook his head at the puppy as if to say, “kids these days.” Before Danny could comment on his observation, Steve exited the house with Junior in tow.

“Hey, Junior, good to see you again. My car looks great by the way.”

“Hello, Detective Williams. It’s a nice car and I’m glad you’re happy with my work. That carnauba wax is great stuff, sir.”

Before Danny could praise the kid’s detailing skills further, his partner clamped a hand on Junior’s shoulder and gestured towards the older man in the flowered shirt standing next to Danny. “Junior, this is my friend, Sergeant Duke Lukela of H.P.D.  Duke, Junior Reigns.”

“Pleasure to me you, Sergeant,” Junior greeted politely.

“The pleasure’s all mine,” Duke told him. “Master Chief David Lange speaks very highly of you, Junior.”

Junior briefly glanced at Danny and then looked over at Steve in confusion.

“Look,” Steve explained. “you want a spot on my team. This is how you do it. Alright? You join the academy, you become a cop.”

“With all due respect, I don’t want to be H.P.D. I want to work for you.” 

Oh shit, Danny thought, Junior really was Steve’s mini-me.  He didn’t think his nerves could stand another one, so Steve sure as hell better stick to his guns about Junior graduating from the police academy before joining the team. The kid may have been through Hell and back as a SEAL, but he obviously still had a lot to learn. 

“Yeah, I know you do.” Steve said. “But this is the deal. I need you to graduate from the academy. You do that; I’ll bring you on to Five-0. You have my word.”

Danny could tell Junior was considering what Steve said, unsure if this was a ploy to steer him away from Five-0 and toward H.P.D. or if Steve was actually offering him a job.  It was Duke who convinced him that Steve was being sincere. “You served your country, son.  It’s the least we can do.” Duke told him.

Danny could tell the moment Junior finally realized that his goal of joining Five-0 was within reach, but it wouldn’t just be handed to him, he’d have to earn it.  Junior looked at Duke and Danny before turning back to Steve with a nod. “Thank you, sir. I won’t let you down.”

“I know you won’t,” Steve told him, and for some reason, Danny knew he wouldn’t. There was just something about Steve that drew lost souls to him and made them want to live up to the potential Steve saw in them. They wanted to make Steve proud, to never let him down. He should know, he was one of those lost souls … only he wasn’t lost anymore. Danny heard Charlie and Akela’s shouts of childish glee, followed by happy barks from the dogs and he glanced around and took in the scene that surrounded him … he had Steve, the kids, their ohana, and the life he and Steve had created together. No, he wasn’t a lost soul anymore.  Junior didn’t know it yet, but he’d just been adopted into this crazy, wonderful family and Danny knew that one day the kid would look back and realize that the best decision he ever made was deciding he wanted to be a part of Five-0 and not taking no for an answer.   

“Hey, babe. Everybody else will be here soon, why don’t you get Junior something to drink while I finish getting things ready in the kitchen. Then you can show Junior and Duke the new grill the kids got you for Father’s Day.”

Steve nodded then leaned in and gave Danny a quick kiss before turning back to the other men with a grin. “This grill is awesome, it even …” the rest of Steve’s exuberant recitation of the grill’s many great qualities was lost on Danny as he entered the house. Before heading towards the kitchen, he took one more look outside and smiled as he watched Steve demonstrate some clearly wonderful feature of the grill.  Just then, Charlie ran up and Steve swung the little boy up onto his shoulders without missing a beat. No, Danny wasn’t a lost soul anymore … and neither was Steve.  

**_End._ **

**Author's Note:**

> I really appreciate this community and all of you who take the time to read my little stories. Thanks so much.


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